So did I. The Great Escape does have a good pedigree -- Ron Howard and the TAR producers, but it was a big yawn as far as I'm concerned. It probably wasn't wise to set the first episode at Alcatraz; that decrepit, rubbishy, filthy place is hardly an enticement to watch.

The Newsroom is Aaron Sorkin's third attempt at a series set behind the scenes of a television show, and it's just like his other shows -- rapid speech, everyone talking alike, instant recall of tons of statistics, etc. The first episode had a long sequence of preachy idealism which I didn't buy for one minute, and I doubt that I'll watch the second episode.

One thing about The Closer bothered me, and that was the casual dismissal of the problem of who was the leak in the office. The law suit is gone, the sleazy lawyer is gone, and there's no one left to leak info to. Surely they're not going to leave it at that?

That might just be a reminder instead of a dismissal, a reminder that someone in the squad can't be trusted. Just as Raydor was brought in as a messenger right at the end, to remind us she's part of this picture. Anyway, I'm hoping that's what it is.